Yellow Blood

From the void of darkness, Elliot slowly stirred. His hands trembled slightly as he struggled to rise. Am I back in the Magerson family estate? He glanced around, recognizing the familiar scene: a grand house filled with cabinets, a sofa, and most notably, a second-floor balcony overlooking the room, along with a winding spiral staircase. His nose twitched, and he wrinkled his face in disgust. Blue blood was everywhere. The woman still lay motionless in front of the unlit fireplace.

With a groan, Elliot stretched his body, mumbling to himself, "It still hurts like hell, but at least it's bearable now." As he bent forward, touching his toes with his hands, a coarse, familiar voice cut through the silence. "You're awake?"

Footsteps followed, two more joining the first as they approached. Their gazes were concerned, yet relieved.

"Are you alright now?" William asked, his eyes fixed on Elliot.

"In a relative sense, yes," Elliot responded.

Elton was quick to probe. "What did you see this time?"

Before Elliot could answer, Elton received a swift elbow to the stomach, causing him to grunt and clutch the spot. Elliot's eyes flickered as he stared at the floor, still feeling the lingering echoes of pain. "I experienced her death," he murmured. "I saw what happened to her."

William's brow furrowed as he leaned in. "You experienced her death?"

"Not exactly death," Elliot corrected. "I didn't die myself, but I felt everything she did. The way her eyes burst, her abdomen splitting open, her face burning... I was inside her, experiencing it all, as if I was her. But I couldn't move. I just felt it—every last detail."

Even as he spoke, Elliot's face contorted in memory, his hand instinctively clutching his stomach as he bent slightly, the horror still fresh. The others exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes dropping, none of them meeting Elliot's gaze. Silence blanketed the Magerson estate for a long moment, until Bill broke it with a question.

"Did you see anything else?" His calm, gravelly voice felt steady, though his eyes now locked directly with Elliot's.

Elliot hesitated, his gaze falling once more to the dark blue blood pooling on the wooden floor. "I saw... a man. Dressed entirely in black. His face was pale, his hair as dark as a raven's feathers, and his eyes... they glowed with a violet light. He didn't have a beard, just clear, smooth skin. There was a sharp cut across his face. He said something—something about how divine blood chooses, not the other way around. But that's all. That's all I saw."

His shoulders slumped as his eyes drifted back to the lifeless body of the woman. The sight of her made his stomach twist, but his mind wandered elsewhere. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought, as if caught in a distant dream.

"Let's give him some space," Bill said, his voice quiet but commanding. "We need to discuss the situation."

William and Elton nodded, though William stretched and added lightly, "Why don't we head across the street to the bar? We can continue there—and maybe grab a drink while we're at it."

As he motioned toward the door, William glanced back. "Elliot, want to come with?"

Before Elliot could answer, Elton intervened, his voice lower. "Look at him, William. He's exhausted, and drenched in blood. He can't go out like that—especially not to a bar."

Bill overheard their exchange and nodded in agreement, heading toward the door. "Rest up, Elliot. We'll bring you something to drink and some fresh clothes later. Water, or something else?"

Elliot, still half-lost in his thoughts, gave a passive nod, his eyes never leaving the woman's corpse. "Water would be nice," he murmured.

With that, the three detectives—dressed in their professional garb, their shoes barely touched by the blue blood—left the house, the door closing with a loud thud behind them.

Furrowing his brow, Elliot slowly turned toward the window, watching as the trio crossed the wide street, their hands tucked in their pockets. Now, where is that yellow blood?

His hands tightened around his abdomen, his eyes burning with a strange heat as his brow slicked with sweat. I have to find it! That blood... it's powerful—one of the strong ones. Yellow blood!

His excitement bubbled inside him, his muttering growing more fervent. "Where is it? Where is it?" His hands released his stomach and face as he inspected the body more closely. "Somewhere here... or maybe there?" His murmurs turned into a soft, feverish hum, "Stronger... stronger... I'll become stronger."

He shifted the woman's body to the side, pushing the blue blood away with his foot, spreading it thin across the floor to reveal more of the surface beneath. "Yellow blood... you beautiful, beautiful thing." His humming grew more frantic as he searched, desperation creeping into his voice. If anyone discovered what he was doing, it would all be over. But just as his patience began to fray, Elliot's eyes widened in triumph.

There it was. Yellow blood.

It lay beneath the thick blue, untouched. The denser yellow liquid had settled at the bottom, shielded by the lighter blue blood. With eyes gleaming, Elliot knelt toward the ground, his lips parting in anticipation. Like a teenager's first kiss, his mouth inched toward the glowing, golden substance, until his lips touched the surface, and he drank.

More... more! I must grow stronger! His fingers twitched, veins bulging beneath his skin as a wave of energy surged through him. It was like a rush of caffeine, but sharper, more metallic. The initial taste was sweet, like candy, but then came the aftertaste—metallic, almost bitter.

Elliot smiled, nearly laughing, as he continued to drink, even after the yellow blood had vanished. He began to consume the blue blood as well, greedily, like a child devouring sweets. His teeth turned yellow, then blue, as he absorbed more and more of the woman's blood. Time seemed to freeze.

"Hehehe..." Elliot chuckled as the power coursed through him, from his throat to his veins. "Hehehe... I'm getting stronger. Stronger... no, the strongest."

But then, his eyes snapped wide open. He wiped his mouth hastily with his sleeve, panic creeping in. "Damn it... I thought I was immune to the frenzy!"

He glanced toward the window and saw the three men leaving the bar, bottles in hand. "Damn it, I need to put everything back as it was."

Sweating and bent over, Elliot moved quickly, despite his trembling legs. Still, a faint smile tugged at his lips. His movements felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He moved faster, more fluidly, as he arranged the blood-soaked floor. Even the blue blood at his feet offered less resistance.

With hurried steps, he left the blood to settle in place as it had been.

Click!

The door swung open, followed by a loud slam. A voice rang out, "Elliot, we brought you a burger! It's famous here in Trüben-City!"

Elliot glanced up, panting, almost out of breath, as he gripped the shoulder of the woman's lifeless body, trying to return her to her original position. But it was too late—three men were already rounding the corner, approaching the scene of the crime. Their eyes widened, and some of their shoulders slumped at the sight. Only Bill remained somewhat composed.

"Elliot!" William shouted, rushing over with a water bottle in one hand and a juicy burger speared with a toothpick in the other. "Why are you still standing? You should rest." William's voice softened, his concerned gaze easing when he saw Elliot give him a shaky thumbs-up.

Elliot leaned against a tall table, arms propped on its surface, his face buried between them, hidden from the others. His heart pounded in his chest, nearly dropping into his stomach. Desperately, he licked the blood that stained the back of his shirt and pants with his tongue, his teeth coated in a foul, metallic taste. He discreetly spat, trying his best to hide the blood.

"I'm... feeling a little better. I–I just need something to drink," Elliot's voice was faint, almost muffled, as Elton strained to hear him. Bill, however, merely stood there, holding his glass of frothy golden beer.

William gently patted Elliot on the back, setting down the opened water bottle and burger on a crumpled paper wrapper with the word "Monnem" faintly printed in blue letters. "Eat and drink first, regain your strength." With another soft pat on Elliot's half-dry back, William took a few steps away and sat down on the sofa. Bill and Elton followed suit.

It didn't take long for the others to begin eating and drinking. While Bill and William were relatively composed as they ate, Elton fidgeted and groaned in delight, "This place deserves five stars, I'm telling you!" His voice echoed through the spacious house, prompting Elliot to cautiously raise his head from the table.

The moment Elliot looked up, his stomach growled loudly, not in the usual quiet way it sometimes did during the night or occasionally during the day. No, this was an immense, earth-shaking rumble, as if thunder itself had descended upon the ground. Elton clapped a hand over his mouth, barely managing to stifle his laughter.

When was the last time? Elliot thought, his mind drifting. Not the moldy bread... not that yellow and blue blood... but real food? Days. The last was in the afternoon, the day before everything ended. A pizza, a giant one. Salami, mushrooms, double cheese. Together with Ren…

His mouth filled with saliva, threatening to drip from the corners. Elliot picked up the burger, ensuring it covered his mouth completely, so no one could see even a trace of the blood inside. The burger was enormous, fresh. The bun was perfectly round, the lettuce a vibrant, turquoise-tinged green that stood out. The meat was browned to perfection, and the tomatoes were an orange-red hue. The sauce, which dripped from his fingers stained with blue blood, was a striking orange-white.

Elliot opened his mouth slightly, taking a small bite. The flavors... balanced. The savory and salty taste of the sauce and meat blended harmoniously with the slight sweetness of the bun, lettuce, and tomatoes. Something spicy lingered, along with a rough texture—harder than the lettuce but still within. His hands trembled slightly as he pressed the burger closer to his mouth. His eyes reddened, glistening.

Tears threatened to spill. Elliot's mouth couldn't keep up as he took faster and larger, greedier bites. Eventually, he coughed loudly, pounding his chest and reaching for the water to wash it down. A low groan escaped him, and this time, two tears rolled down his cheeks.

The large house was bathed in the light of the setting blue sun, casting a violet glow across everything. The atmosphere shifted—both cold and warm at once. Slowly, a smile crept across Elliot's face as he continued to eat his burger, but this time more slowly, savoring each bite. The metallic taste faded, as did the sweat that had once poured from him.

No longer did he clutch his stomach, his eyes, or his face. He simply gazed up at the purple sky, smiling, with a burger in hand and a bottle beside him, lost in the casual chatter of his three colleagues. With the burger still close to his mouth, Elliot stared up at the deep violet sky.

I'm getting stronger. And then, Ren... we'll eat burgers, pizza, and ice cream together again. Like back then, whenever our parents were away... or when they disappeared for good.

Elliot gazed out, a melancholic but peaceful smile on his face, lost in memories of the past, as the emerging night sky darkened, revealing the golden moon.